Barcarolle

The term Barcarolle (derived from the italian 'barca', meaning boat) can refer to a type of traditional music sung by Venetian gondoliers, or, more frequently, to an art music piece emulating that style. The latter type of barcarolles can be either instrumental or featuring a voice and text. The defining trait of the barcarolle resides not in its instrumentation, but rather in its rhythm: the barcarolle is said to emulate the gondolier's stroke, almost invariably using a 6/8 meter and a moderate tempo. They were commonly found in operas, though there are also several free-standing instrumental barcaroles (famous among these the ones by Chopin, Valentin-Alkan, Bartok, and Barrios Mangoré).